Hair drier



J. E. DWYER Feb. 3', 1942.

HAIR DRIER Filed Dec. 27, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JnMEs 50mm DWVE/i" ATTO NEY Feb. 3, 1942. J. E. DWYER 2,271,857

' HAIR DRIER I Filed Dec. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR 071M156 [om/r0 OM54 Feb. 3, 1942. DWYER 2,271,857

. HAIR DRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 27, 1937 INVENTOR JAMES EDIWM'D 0% Patented Feb. 3, 1942 HAIR DRIER New York, N. Y.,. assignor New York, N. Y., acorpo- James Edward Dwyer,

to E. Frederics, Inc.,

ration of New York Application December 27,

3v Claims.

The invention relates to hair driers, and more particularly to-hair driers of the type employed in beauty shops.

A form of apparatus quite commonly used for drying womens hair comprises a hood adapted to be supported over the head. Suitable heating means are provided in association with the hood; also means for blowing heated air thru or around the hair of the user. A rather serious difficulty encountered with this type of apparatus resides in the great discomfort-to the user caused by the hot air flowing around the neck. Furthermore, considerable heat maybe radiated from the heating elements, adding to the discomfort produced. It is an object of my invention to provide a drier of the class described which is so constructed as to overcome this difliculty and which can be used without appreciable discomfort.

Another object is to provide a drier with which is associated a conduit for directing cool air around th neck of th user.

A more specific object is to provide a drier incorporating means for deflecting heated air from around the neck of the user.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which comprises means for directing cool air around the neck of the user while at the same time inducing draft of cool air around the motor which is used to drive the hot air circulating means.

Another object is to provide hair drying apparatus in which fans driven from one motor are arranged to recirculate the heated air in the drying hood, cool the motor, and direct the motor cooling air around the neck of the user. Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a central transverse sectional view thru a. hair drier embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a of a portion of the drier shown in Fig. 1 taken as indicated at 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view, partly in central transverse section and partly in elevation, showing another embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have shown a hair drier having a casing comprising a hood I and a fan housing member or chamber 12. The hood I consists of an inner shell 2 and an outer shell 3. These shells are held in spaced relationship by a rim casting 4 and spacer member 5. The rim Casting" 4'is'pro' fragmentary elevational view 1937, Serial No. 181.851

vided with shouldered recesses G and lto receive the lower edges of the inner and outer shells Z and 3 respectively.

The upper end of the inner shell 2 of the hood is suitably secured to a motor support bracket 8 by means of an attaching flange 9 extending inwardly around the upper periphery of the shell 2. The supporting bracket 8- is providedwith a downwardly extending conform with the side ofthe inner shell 2 of the hood.

Secured to the under side of the motor supporting bracket is a fan housing consisting of a plate H and a main housing member or chamber I2 The plate I l is flanged upwardly at the center oi the hood to form a tubular guide l3 extending thru an aperture M in the. bracket 8 and forming a passage thru which the shaft of a motor may extend with an allowance of suflicient clearance to permit the flow of cooling, air past the, motor in a manner subsequently to be described.

Themain housing member a scroll casing adapted to receive a centrifugal fan. It has a bottom l5; apertured at E5 to receive the driving shaft of the motor. and side walls l6 provided with suitable securing means. In the embodiment shown this securing means consists of laterally extending lugs 11. (Figs. 1 and 3.) The housing I2 is further provided with a discharge conduit [8' which extends thru apertures I9, 21 and 22 formed respectively in the leg m. of the motor support bracket and the shells 2' and 3. The top of the housing member I2 is closed by the plate ll previously referred to which is secured between the motor support bracket 8 and the housing by means of bolts 23 which extend thru apertures in the lugs l1 and are threaded into bosses 24 formed on the under side of the bracket 8. The plate ll preferably extends entirely across the top of the inner shell 2 of the hood except where it is cut out to provide an opening for the upper wall 25 of the discharge conduit I8, Thus, it will be seen that the fan housing provided by the plate II and easing l2 cooperates with the motor support bracket 8 to .close completely the upper end of shell 2.

A- motor 26 is mounted on support bracket 8' in any convenient manner as by means of the bolts 21. The motor is surrounded by a housing 28' secured to the outer shell 3 by means of the telescoping connection 29. housing 28 substantially closes the opening between the upper ends of the inner and outer shells 2 and 3, providing a dead air space 30 therebetween. Housing 28 may beprovided with aperleg It] which is shaped tol2' is in the form of The lower edge of the tures 3| in its top and sides to permit the ingress of air for cooling the motor.

The shaft 32 of the motor extends down thru the tubular extension I3 of the plate II and the aperture I in the bottom wall I5 of the fan housing member I2. A centrifugal fan consisting of a circular disc 33 with blades 34 and a hub 35 mounted thereon is afiixed to the shaft 32 within th housing I I, I2 in any convenient manner. A similar centrifugal fan consisting of a circular disc 36 mounted on a hub 31 and having a series of blades 38' attached thereto is afiixed to the shaft 32 on the underside of the housing member I2. If desired, a suitable bushing may be inserted adjacent the aperture I 5' in the housing member I2 in order to reduce any leakage of air which might occur at this point. In practice, however, I have found that this is not required. The disc 36 of the second fan preferably is flanged, as at 39, to assist in deflecting air discharged by the fan in a downward and outward direction.

Inside of the hood I there is mounted an intake shell 40 which preferably is constructed of two separate members, the conical shell ll and cylindrical shell 42. Shell 4I may be provided with a cylindrical extension 43, the upper end of which is flanged inwardly as at 44. The shell member 42 is provided with an offset extension providing a shoulder 46 complementary to the flange 44 of shell member 4I. Extensions 43 and 45 of the shell members Ill, 42 provide a telescoping connection therebetween. A screen or other foraminous body 41 is secured in place between flange 44 and shoulder 45 of the two shell members and serves to prevent the hair of the user from being caught in the fan. The intake shell 43 is mounted within the hood I by means of spacer brackets 48 provided with flanges 49 and 59 which are spotwelded or otherwise secured to the intake shell and to the inner shell 2 of the hood. These spacer brackets 48 are notched or apertured to receive a plurality of electrical resistance heating elements 5| of a form well known in the art. As shown, heating elements 5I are spaced from the brackets 48 by means of insulating or refractory supporting bushings 52.

A combined mounting bracket and conduit 53 is secured to the leg II] of the motor support bracket 8 by means of screws, one of which is shown at 54. These screws pass thru apertures in the inner and outer shells 2 and 3 of the hood and in the spacer 5, and are threaded into the aforesaid leg ID of the motor support bracket. The portion of the mounting bracket 53 which engages the outer part of the hood I is generally channel-shaped in cross section, as seen best in Fig. 4, so that it cooperates with the outer shell 3 of the hood to form a closed conduit 55 thru which passes the cooling air discharged from the conduit IS. The upper end of the mounting bracket channel encloses the end of conduit I8. At the lower end of the conduit 55 the mounting bracket channel is provided with an inner wall 55 which engages the rim casting 4, forming a nozzle 51 extending slightly below the lower edge of the rim casting, which at this point is curved inwardly as at 58 for a purpose which will be described later. The nozzle 51 may be provided with an adjustable extension 59 which may conveniently be secured thereto by means of a ball and socket connection 60, 6| so as to make it possible to control the direction of flow of air discharged therefrom. This extension 59 preferably is widened out laterally and may also be curved transversely so as to more or less surround the back of the neck.

The mounting bracket 53 may be provided with a suitable handle 62 and be adjustably mounted on a support (not shown) in any convenient manner. For this purpose I have provided apertures 63 but any desired mounting may be employed. I have also found it convenient to utilize the bracket 53 as a mounting for a 3-way switch 64 which may be arranged to control the heating elements 5| so as to produce the desired degree of heat and which also may be arranged to close the motor circuit whenever any of the heating circuits are closed. An auxiliary switch 65 may also be provided to operate the motor independently of the heating elements. These circuits do not form any part of the present invention and the electrical connections may be made in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In the operation of a drier constructed in accordance with this particular embodiment of my invention the switch 64 is turned on, closing the motor circuit and one of the heating circuits. This operates the two centrifugal fans, the upper fan drawing in cool air thru the apertures SI of the motor housing 28 and thencethru the tubular extension I3 of the fan housing, and forces this air out thru the conduits I8 and 55 from which it is discharged thru the nozzle 51, 59. The lower fan draws the air upwardly around or thru the hair around the sides of the intake shell 43. This air after passing thru the fan is forced outwardly and downwardly thru the space between the inner shell 2 of the hood and the outside of the intake shell 40. The air passing downwardly in this manner encounters the inwardly turned flange 58 at the lower edge of the rim casting which deflects it upwardly to be recirculated thru the intake shell. The general directions of these various air currents are indicated by arrows in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that with the arrangement I have provided, the upper fan serves to induce a current of cool air flowing past the motor 25 and also forces this air which is still relatively cool downwardly along the outside of the hood I to discharge it adjacentthe lower end thereof. At the same time a current of air is caused to flow downwardly past the heating elements 5| and this heated air flows down along the inside of the hood I in a direction which at the back of the hood is substantially parallel to the direction of flow of the cool air thru the conduit 55. At the lower edge of the hood, however, the inwardly turned flange 58 and the nozzle 51, 59 provide means for diverting these parallel streams of hot and cold air one from the other, the downward flow of the hot air being diverted upwardly for recirculation in the intake shell 40. I have found this arrangement to be advantageous since it results in a very efficient drying action while confining substantially all of the heated air within the drier. The dead air space 30 between the inner and outer shells 2 and 3 of the hood serves to insulate the parallel streams of hot and cold air at the back thereof and makes it possible to simplify the construction of the cold air conduit. Specifically, it permits the outer shell 3 to be utilized as one side of the conduit 55, greatly simplifying the construction of the combined mounting bracket and conduit 53. As a result of this the construction also is Very compact. Furthermore, the arrangement makes it possible for the upper fan to perform a dual function, viz: that of cooling the motor and of delivering a stream of cooling air at the base of the hood. The nozzle 59 may be adjusted to direct the cool air around the neck of the user, avoiding the extreme discomfort occasioned by the use of driers heretofore known.

Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment of my invention in which the casing comprises a hood I and a fan housing or chamber 68; and in which the upper fan is located above the motor, the motor shaft being extended so that one fan is mounted above and the other below the body of the motor. The construction of the drying hood i is essentially the same as that which has been described with reference to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. The hood I consists generally of the inner and outer shells 2 and 3, rim casing 4, and the motor support bracket 8 to which is secured the motor 26, all as previously described.

The motor housing 66 in this modified construction is provided with an opening at its upper end, defined by the beaded edge 61. A fan housing or chamber 68 is mounted above the motor housing 68 and is provided with a depending flange 69 for engagement with the beaded edge 61 of the aforesaid opening in the motor housing. Associated with the fan housing 68 is a discharge conduit III which is provided sion H which follows along the outside of the hood I and terminates in a nozzle 12.

The shaft 13 of the motor 26 extends both below and above the motor, a fan 14 being secured to its lower end and another fan 15 being secured to its upper end. The fan 15 may be of the squirrel cage type, as shown, with an opening 16 in its upper side providing an air intake. The top closure member H of the housing 68 preferably is provided with a side and top walls of which are formed intake openings 19. A damper 80 fits over the dome l8 and may conveniently be secured thereto by a rivet 8|. 'I'h'e damper 80 is provided with openings which may be brought aforesaid openings 19, the damper being rotatable with respect to the dome 18' .to permit partial closure of the openings 19 so that the size of the air intake passages may be regulated.

If desired, the fan 14 may be provided with auxiliary vanes 82 on will be drawn thru the openings 3| in the motor housing and past the lower end of the motor 26 to cool it. The stream of air passing through the discharge conduit 10 also induces a flow of air from within the motor housing 66 thru the opening 83 in the lower wall of the fan housing 68.

with a tubular extenventilating dome 18 in the 1 into registry with the its upper side so that air.

munication with one end.- of

This serves to cool the upper end of the motor, supplementing the action of the vanes 82 of the fan 14. Otherwise the operation of a drier constructed in accordance with this embodiment of th invention is the same as has been described with reference to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

Various modifications mightbe made in the constructions which I have specifically described and these constructions are intended to be illustrative only. The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description andnot of limitation, and I have no intention of excluding such equivalents of the constructions described, or of portions thereof, as may fall within the purview of the claims.

-What I claim is:

l. A hair drier having a casing, said casing comprising a hood and a chamber separated from said hood, an air conduit for delivering a stream of cool air arranged along the outside of the hood leading from above the hood to the lower edge thereof, said chamber communicating with said conduit, a fan positioned in said chamber for forcing cool air through said chamber and said conduit, another fan positioned inside said hood for circulating and recirculating hot air-within the hood,'said fans being mounted on a common shaft, and a motor for rotating said shaft to drive said fans.

2. A hair drier having a casing, said casing comprising a hood and a chamber separated from said hood, an air conduit arranged along the outside of the hood leading from above the hood to the lower edge thereof for delivering a stream of cool air, said chamber communicating with said conduit, a fan positioned in said chamber for forcing cool air through said chamber and said conduit, another fan positioned inside said hood for circulating hot air therein, and motor means in said casing for driving said fans.

, 3. A hair drier comprising a hood, means for circulating heated air therein, a mounting bracket attached to the side of said hood, the attaching portion of said bracket being of channel form, said channel being closed by the side of said hood to form an air conduit extending from the top to the lower edge thereof, and fan means in comsaid conduit to force cool air therethrough.

JAMES EDWARD DWYER. 

